The entertainment and movie industry lead people to believe that college is just one big party but in reality it takes hard work and dedication. The biggest misconception is that every college student parties, drinks, and crams last minute for exams. UTSA has heard and seen the effects it has on the incoming freshmen and they have many different resources to help warn students of alcohol and the toll it takes on college life.
In the 2007-2008 school year UTSA’s liquor law arrests rose to 23% compared to the last year, and from 2008-2009 93% of all offenses on campus were drug and alcohol related (Alcohol). This shows that no matter how much UTSA tries to prevent these incidents it can never stop unless the students are willing to become responsible about alcohol. According Mothers Against Drunk Driving; 48% of all alcohol consumed by students attending a 4-year college is consumed by underage students (Underage).
In order to start classes at UTSA it is mandatory for all incoming freshmen to take the AlcoholEdu course. This course is designed to help you make smart choices about alcohol and help you understand the effects of the dangerous substance (AlcoholEdu). UTSA also has many organizations to help promote alcohol awareness. Sexual Health Alcohol and Drug Education for Students (SHADES) and Peers Against Impaired Driving (PAID) are both student based programs that focus on sending a message out their peers to make rational decisions when it comes to alcohol and helping them understand and cope with the pressures of drinking. Be A Responsible Roadrunner (BARR) sponsors many activities around campus to give an alternative form of entertainment like the Rowdy Wing Fling; this is a concert at the beginning of the year with activities and free hot wings. This helps reinforce that you can have fun without alcohol (Student). Campus Crawl is another fun filled alcohol-free event letting you interact and meet new people while you get some facts about drinking. They also have an Alcohol Awareness Week dedicated to teaching students about the risks of binge drinking, drinking and driving, and all the responsibilities and liabilities you take on when you decide to drink.
Coming up on October 18, will be a Health Services Fair where there will most likely have a SHADES, BARR, and PAID booth to support alcohol awareness. UTSA also sponsors “UCinema Nights” on Friday and Saturday evenings where they play movies (UTSA Events). This helps promote students from leaving the campus to go to parties. Now they have something to do other than get themselves in trouble. If UTSA keeps the students involved on and off campus with fun, and entertaining events our alcohol related incidents should drop dramatically.
If anybody was to violate the University policies about alcohol and the incident happened on campus the Student Judicial Affairs would determine and execute a punishment fit for the crime and you would go under investigation under the school board whether or not you should be put on academic suspension or even be withdrawn from the University. The UTSA policy and punishment on alcohol abuse can be found at www.utsa.edu/utsapd and www.utsa.edu/osja. UTSA’s punishment and enforcement is very similar to the state of Texas’ policy (The Alcoholic). If you violate alcohol policies off of your dorm room and in a public area on or around campus it is most likely going to be a ticket issued for the city of San Antonio. In that case you will have to go to court, pay fines, and it will be on your personal record.
UTSA strictly prohibits alcohol from any event where the University owns or controls land, unless the chancellor over rules the policy (Rule: 80102). This is a great tool in showing students that they can watch a sporting event, cheer, and have a great time without the use of drugs or alcohol. There is also a safe, and strong presence of the UTSA police to make sure everything is under control and the rules are being followed.
UTSA and many other colleges have come a long way in realizing that under aged drinking is a problem and should be dealt with accordingly. The school has taken the first, necessary steps in fighting this problem with mandatory AlcoholEdu classes, but it also takes the whole community to take control and stop this problem from growing.
Work Cited
"Alcohol." http://www.utsa.edu/sa/barr/RMSWebSources/Alcohol.pdf?OpenDocument. Web. 21 Sep 2009. .
"AlcoholEdu." http://college.alcoholedu.com/faq.html. Web. 22 Sep 2009. .
"Rule: 80102 The University of Texas System." http://www.utsystem.edu/BOR/rules.htm#A6. Web. 22 Sep 2009. .
"Student Health Services." http://www.utsa.edu/health/healthedu.cfm. Web. 21 Sep 2009. .
"The Alcoholic Beverage Code Sections Referencing Minors." http://www.utsa.edu/utsapd/Crime_Prevention/Crime_prevention%20pdf/TABC%20Minor%20Laws.pdf. Web. 21 Sep 2009. .
"Underage Drinking and Drunk Driving Statistics." http://www.madd.org/docs/college%20statistics.pdf. Web. 21 Sep 2009. .
"UTSA Events Calendar." https://calendar.utsa.edu/public/public_servlet/urd/run/wv_event.WeekList?evdt=20090921,evfilter=160094. Web. 21 Sep 2009. .
Cited: "Alcohol." http://www.utsa.edu/sa/barr/RMSWebSources/Alcohol.pdf?OpenDocument. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . "AlcoholEdu." http://college.alcoholedu.com/faq.html. Web. 22 Sep 2009. . "Rule: 80102 The University of Texas System." http://www.utsystem.edu/BOR/rules.htm#A6. Web. 22 Sep 2009. . "Student Health Services." http://www.utsa.edu/health/healthedu.cfm. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . "The Alcoholic Beverage Code Sections Referencing Minors." http://www.utsa.edu/utsapd/Crime_Prevention/Crime_prevention%20pdf/TABC%20Minor%20Laws.pdf. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . "Underage Drinking and Drunk Driving Statistics." http://www.madd.org/docs/college%20statistics.pdf. Web. 21 Sep 2009. . "UTSA Events Calendar." https://calendar.utsa.edu/public/public_servlet/urd/run/wv_event.WeekList?evdt=20090921,evfilter=160094. Web. 21 Sep 2009. .
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